The Indonesian government intends to encourage local exporters in North Sulawesi to sell nutmeg to Germany, as the country was the number one buyer of the spice in 2016.
“The (nutmeg) demand from the Germans is high, with exports occurring every week,” said Secretary of Trade and Industry Department Darwin Muksin here on Tuesday.
According to the North Sulawesi Trade and Industry Department, the export volume of nutmeg to Germany had reached 29 tons and earned US$234,725 in revenue by the end of 2016.
Muksin added, the demand from Germany showed a positive trend that tended to increase occasionally, with imports arriving almost every month.
“The export volume to and revenue from Germany is proof that food commodities have not been shaken by the global financial crisis that started in Europe,” he noted.
The government is optimistic that the exports from North Sulawesi will continue to increase in December 2016, as no postponement of the trade contract has been reported.
Besides nutmeg, North Sulawesis prime commodities are coconut powder, crude coconut oil, and fisheries products.